Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Senators sophomore goaltender Brian Elliott will be staying in Ottawa for the foreseeable future, signing on for two years at $800k and $900k per season.

After trading Alex Auld in July, the Sens knew that Elliot would be their backup for the upcoming season, and the restricted free agent decided to stick around.

During a great rookie season, in which he posted a 16-8-3 record, Elliott was practically sharing the #1 duties with Auld toward the end of the season. I hate to say it, considering all the goalie controversy in Ottawa over the past several seasons, but I expect Elliott to play a significant number of games in 2009-10.

Signing for two years, Elliott's contract will end the same year as incoming starter Pascal Leclaire. Then, I suppose, the Sens will have to decide whether Elliott's growth has been sufficient to trust him with the #1 spot, and bid adieu to Leclaire. But let's hope that it's a difficult decision.